Pistol loading clip



May 11, 1965 L. L. HAMILTON PISTOL LOADING CLIP Filed April 30, 1962 INVENTOR.

LWANL .Hmurozv.

4 Iran/v57 United States Patent 3,182,417 PISTOL LOAIHNG CLIP Lyman L. Hamilton, 461 Holly Ave., South San Francisco, Calif. Filed Apr. 30, 1962, Ser. No. 191,036 6 Claims. (Cl. 42-89) My present invention relates to firearms and more particularly to a cartridge carrying clip by which the chambers of a conventional revolver cylinder may be simultaneously loaded in a simple and rapid manner.

An object of the invention is to provide a cartridge holding clip which will be found particularly suitable for the loading of the cylinder of a service revolver of high caliber in a practical, handy and rapid manner.

Another object of the invention is to provide a cartridge carrying clip of practical and novel construction by which in conjunction with a cartridge positioning accessory the clip may be rapidly filled with the required number of cartridges for simultaneous insertion into the chamber of a revolver cylinder and be released from the clip by a simple rotary movement when positioned in the chambers of the revolver cylinder.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved cartridge carrying clip that is particularly designed for the loading of high caliber cartridges into police, military or like service revolvers, as distinguished from the clip disclosed in my now abandoned application for patent Serial No. 133,886, filed August 25, 1961.

Other objects and advantages will be in part evident to those skilled in the art and in part pointed out hereinafter in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein there is shown by way of illustration and not of limitation preferred embodiments of the invention.

In the drawing, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views:

FIGURE 1 is a bottom view of a basic embodiment of the present invention,

FIGURE 2 is a top view of the device as shown in FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 3 is a side view of a preferred embodiment of the invention,

FIGURE 4 is a vertical sectional view taken central of the device as shown in FIGURE 3,

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary view showing the construction of FIGURE 4 in enlargement, and

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary view showing a cartridge positioning and holding accessory by which the clip is adapted to be loaded.

FIGURE 7, is a view similar to FIGURE 1, showing the parts in another position with a full charge of cartridges.

For a more detailed description of the invention, reference is now made to the accompanying drawing where in FIGURES 1 and 2 there is shown an embodiment employing the three basic elements as contemplated by my invention. In this embodiment I provide two superimposed disc like members 10 and 11 that are secured together by a central shaft 12. The disc like member 10 has six recesses 13 of circular outline into which the primer end of cartridges 14 can be positioned. These recesses 13 are shown as completed by projections or shoulder 13' that are defined by the walls of adjacent recesses 13 and the outer perimeter of the disc-like mem ber 10. The shaft 12 is split at this end to provide resilient fingers 15, each of which have an overhanging nib 16 that operate to retain a cartridge 14 in each of the recesses 13 of the member 10 when the member 11 is in the position indicated. The shaft 12 is keyed to the member 11 and between these two members there is a motion limiting means in the form of a slot 17 in the member 10 into which a pin 18 carried by the member 11 is located. When the members 10 and 11 are in the positions shown the cartridges 14 will be firmly held upon the clip. To unload the clip and thus load the revolver cylinder the operator, after placing the cartridges in the chambers of a revolver cylinder, need only turn the member 11 by means of a handle 19 and this will result in a corresponding angular displacement of the fingers which will become disengaged from the cartridges and permit the clip to be removed from the revolver cylinder with the cartridges deposited therein.

In FIGURES 3, 4 and 5 of the drawing there is shown an improvement upon the above basic idea in which a rotatable disc like member 20, corresponding to the member 11, is associated in the manner above described with a cartridge supporting disc like member 21 that is comparable to the member 10. In this instance the disc like member is provided with an operating handle 22 upon which there is pivotally mounted a lever 23 having a locking key 24 at one end and a thumb rest 25 at its other end, the operations of which will be pointed out hereinafter. As shown, the lever 23 is biased into its operative locking position by a spring 26. When the disc like members 20 and 21 are locked into the positions as shown in FIGURE 3 of the drawing the cartridges 14 will be firmly held upon the member 21 as described above.

As is more clearly shown in FIGURE 4 of the drawing, the disc like member 20 carries a shaft 27 which like the shaft 12 is slotted to provide six resilient fingers 28, each of which has a projecting nib 29 that is adapted to overlay the bead 30 at the primer ends of the cartridges 14 when in one position as shown in FIGURES 4 and 5 and release the head 30 of the cartridges when in their other positions. which is determined by the pin 38 and the slot 39 of FIGURE 5 or the slot 17 and the pin 18 of FIGURE 2. When the lever 23 is in its locking position as here shown the locking key 24 at the lower end thereof will engage with aligned key slots 31 and 32 which will be in register when the clip is loaded. Projecting into the upper end of the shaft 27 there is a plunger 33 that is engaged by the thumb rest carrying end 25 of the lever 23 when moved against the bias provided by the spring 26. At its lower end the plunger 33 rests upon a thin fiat steel key 34 which is projected through two opposite finger forming slots of the shaft 27 and engages with a ring 35 that carries six pins 36 which project downwardly through pin accommodating holes 37 formed in a concentric circle in the member 21. These pins 36 are adapted when operated to dislodge the cartridges 14 from the disc like member 2 1 after the locking key end 24 of the lever 23 had been moved out of engagement with the key slots 31 and 32 and following the required relative rotation between the disc like members 20 and 21 only sufficient to disengage the nibs 15 and/or 29 from the primer rim of the cartridges. In order to limit this relative rotation between the disc like members 20 and 21 the member 20 is here shown as having a pin 38 that projects downwardly into a short arcuate slot 39 formed in the disc like member 2-1.

The above construction is more clearly illustrated in FIGURE 5 which is substantially twice the normal size of my device. In this figure, the shaft 27 is shown as secured against rotation upon the rotatable disc like member 20 by a set screw 46 and the ring 35 with the pins 36 carried thereby are biased into an inoperative position by a coil spring 41. In order to prevent displacement of the fiat steel key 34, as the shaft 27 is turned in the member 21 there is formed a depending central portion 42 therefrom that extends downwardly into the central opening of the ring 35.

In FIGURE 6 there is shown a device, designated by the numeral 43, in which the individual cartridges are positioned for loading into the clip. With this device the cartridge clip can be conveniently loaded with cartridges by simply placing the clip over the cartridges. As indicated the cartridges 14 are placed in sockets 44 that are arranged in a circle corresponding to the cartridge engaging portions of the clip and projecting upwardly and centrally of the cartridges 14 there is a guide pin or post 45 over which the lower open end of the shaft with its spring fingers 28 is placed, which will operate to center the individual cartridges in their respective positions upon the clip. When the clip is placed in this manner over the pin or post 45 a turning of the rotatable members 11 or 20 while the members 10 or 21 is held stationary by the cartridges will bring the key slots 31 and 32 into alignment and the cartridges will be firmly gripped by the spring fingers 28 of the shaft 27. When the clip is loaded in this manner it maybe used to conveniently insert all of the cartridges into the several chambers of the revolver cylinder, as a single operation. After the cartridges 14 are thus positioned in the chambers of the revolver cylinder a depression of the lever 23 will release the members 20 and 21 and permit relative rotation there between and when this relative rotation has been completed further movement of the lever 23 will operate through the plunger 33 to project the pins 36 carried by the ring 35 through the member 21 positively disengage the cartridges from the clip.

As is more clearly shown in FIGURE 7 of the drawing, the first and second members, as shown in FIGURES 1 and 2 and in FIGURES 3 and 4, are of disc-like form and have an outer diameter slightly less than the area encompassed by the ends of the cartridges when positioned in the recesses 13 of the members 1011 and 20-21. This is an important consideration as it permits the use of the clip with practically every type of revolver, and unlike the prior art devices there is no bulky cartridge carrying portion of the clip which will interfere with the rapid and free insertion of the cartridges into the revolver chambers when swung out free of the chamber supporting portion and pistol grip.

While I have, for the sake of clearness and in order to disclose the invention so that the same can be readily understood, described and illustrated a specific device and arrangement, I desire to have it understood that this invention is not limited to the specific means disclosed, but may be embodied in other ways that will suggest themselves to persons skilled in the art. It is believed that this invention is new and all such changes as come within the scope of the appended claims are to be considered as part of this invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A clip for charging of a revolver cylinder, comprising a first member having recesses upon one side into each of which the rim end of a cartridge may be positioned, said recesses being open at the inner and outer sides thereof, and being defined by spaced projections having arcuate walls terminating at the perimeter of said member, a second member having an arm for turning same with respect to said first member, and a shaft keyed to said second member and extending through said first member having a slotted end forming a plurality of Ion gitudinally extending resilient fingers with shoulders for retaining said first and second members in cooperating relation, and characterized by the fact that the resilient fingers of said shaft each also have radially projecting nibs with arcuate sides adapted and arranged to conform with the arcuate walls of said recesses and at their ends overlay the rim of a cartridge in each of the recesses of said first member when said fingers are in one position and release said cartridges when said fingers are moved into a second position by relative rotation of said first and second members.

2. A clip for charging the chambers of a revolver cylinder, comprising a disc like first member having a plurality of round recesses arranged in a circle upon one side and into which the rim ends of center fire cartridges may be positioned, said recesses being defined by circumferentially spaced abutments with arcuate walls conforming with the circumference of said round recesses, a disc like second member having means for turning same with respect to said disc like first member, a shaft carried by said disc like second member projecting through said disc like first member having slots forming a plurality of longitudinally extending resilient fingers for retaining said dis-c like first and second members in cooperating relation, and characterized by the fact that the said resilient fingers each have a radially projecting nib adapted and arranged to overlay the rim of .a cartridge positioned in the recesses of said disc like first member when said first and second members are in one position with respect to each other and release said cartridges when said members are rotated relative to each other and into a second position.

3. In a clip for charging the chambers of a revolver cylinder, the combination of a first member having circumferentially arranged recesses formed in one side thereof into which individual cartridges may be positioned to conform with the chambers of a revolver cyiinder, a second member secured in rotatable relation against the other side of said first member, a shaft keyed upon said second member and projecting centrally through said first member, said shaft having longitudinally extending slots forming finger like portions with radially projecting nibs at their ends adapted and arranged to overlay the rim of a cartridge when placed in a recess of said first member, means for turning said second member and said shaft with respect to said first member, and means for limiting the relative rotation of said members, whereby nibs carried by said longitudinally extending finger-like portions will each be positioned to retain a cartridge in an adjacent recess upon said first member when said members are in one relative position and release said cartridge when said members are in another relative position.

4. In a clip for loading cartridges into the chambers of a revolver cylinder, the combination of a first member having recesses formed in one side thereof into which individual cartridges may be positioned for simultaneous insertion into the chambers of a revolver cylinder, a second member mounted in superimposed relation against the opposite side of said first disc like member, a shaft keyed upon said second member and projecting through said first member for securing said members for relative rotation, said shaft having longitudinally extending finger like portions with radially projecting nibs at their ends adapted and arranged to overlay the rim of a cartridge in the recesses in said one side of said first member, means for turning said second member and said shaft with respect to said first member, characterized by the fact that said first and second members have external aligned key slots, means carried by said second member having a locking key engageable with said key slots for retaining said disc like members in cartridge holding relation with each other, and means for limiting the relative rotation of said members when released by said locking key, whereby nibs carried by said longitudinally extending finger-like portions will each be positioned to retain a cartridge in an adjacent recess upon said first member when said members are locked by said locking key in one relative position and release said cartridge when said members are unlocked and moved to another relative position.

5. The invention as set forth in claim 4, characterized by the fact that said second member carries means biased into an inoperative position having individual ejector pins for dislodging said cartridges from the recesses in said first member, and means for overcoming said bias and moving said ejector pins to dislodge the cartridges when released by the nibs carried by the longitudinally extending finger portions of said shaft.

6. The invention as set forth in claim 3, characterized by the fact that said first and second members are of disc like form having a diameter less than that required to accommodate the cartridge accommodating recesses in said first member, whereby the rims of cartridges positioned in said recesses will extend outwardly beyond the limits of said discs.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,228,505 6/17 Wesson 4289 1,964,171 6/34 Pflaume 42-89 2,406,231 8/46 Lima 4289 2,406,232 8/46 Lima 4289 2,620,584 12/52 Edmands 42-89 FOREIGN PATENTS 11,752 1896 Great Britain.

BENJAMIN A. BORCHELT, Primary Examiner. 

1. A CLIP FOR CHARGING OF A REVOLVER CYLINDER, COMPRISING A FIRST MEMBER HAVING RECESSES UPON ONE SIDE INTO EACH OF WHICH THE RIM END OF A CARTRIDGE MAY BE POSITIONED, SAID RECESSES BEING OPEN AT THE INNER AND OUTER SIDES THEREOF, AND BEING DEFINED BY SPACED PROJECTIONS HAVING ARCUATE WALLS TERMINATING AT THE PERIMETER OF SAID MEMBER, A SECOND MEMBER HAVING AN ARM FOR TURNING SAME WITH RESPECT TO SAID FIRST MEMBER, AND A SHAFT KEYED TO SAID SECOND MEMBER AND EXTENDING THROUGH SAID FIRST MEMBER HAVING A SLOTTED END FORMING A PLURALITY OF LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING RESILIENT FINGERS WITH SHOULDERS FOR RETAINING SAID FIRST AND SECOND MEMBERS IN COOPERATING RELATION, AND CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT THE RESILIENT FINGERS OF SAID SHAFT EACH ALSO HAVE RADIALLY PROJECTING 